Llancarfan Consultation Document FINAL
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DIRECTORATE OF LEARNING AND SKILLS Consultation Document On the proposal to reconfigure primary provision in the Western Vale by: 1. Creating a new 210 place primary school building with a 48 part time place nursery class for Llancarfan Primary School in Rhoose. 2. Transferring staff and pupils from the existing Llancarfan Primary School building into the new school building. 3. Changing the age range of Llancarfan Primary school from 4-11 years to 3-11 years. This document can be made available in Braille. Information can also be made available in other community languages if needed. Please contact us on 01446 709727 to arrange this. Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Explanation of terms used in this document .................................................................................................. 4 Involving children in the consultation ........................................................................................................... 6 Involving parents, governors and staff - how you can find out more and give your views .......................... 6 Background to the Proposal ........................................................................................................................... 8 The Proposal .................................................................................................................................................. 9 Current and proposed catchment area maps ................................................................................................ 11 Schools serving the Llancarfan and Rhoose area at present ........................................................................ 13 Why are we proposing the changes? ........................................................................................................... 14 Is this a school closure? ............................................................................................................................... 15 Information about the schools ..................................................................................................................... 15 Current performance .................................................................................................................................... 16 The intended impact on education outcomes .............................................................................................. 19 Land and Buildings ...................................................................................................................................... 22 How would other schools be affected? ........................................................................................................ 23 Changes to Catchment Areas ....................................................................................................................... 23 How would Additional Learning Needs (ALN) provision be affected? ..................................................... 24 Transition plan if the proposals are approved ............................................................................................. 25 Risks associated with the proposals ............................................................................................................. 26 Alternatives considered ............................................................................................................................... 26 Review of Catchment and Feeder arrangements .................................................................................... 29 Transition Admission arrangements ........................................................................................................ 29 Finance – capital investment ....................................................................................................................... 31 Finance – running costs ............................................................................................................................... 31 Human Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Transport ...................................................................................................................................................... 31 Learner travel arrangements ........................................................................................................................ 31 Impact of the proposal on the Welsh Language .......................................................................................... 32 Equality impact assessment ......................................................................................................................... 32 Considering community impact ................................................................................................................... 32 The Road to a decision ................................................................................................................................ 33 Key dates ..................................................................................................................................................... 34 Frequently Asked Questions ........................................................................................................................ 35 Consultation Response Form ....................................................................................................................... 38 2 Introduction The Vale of Glamorgan Council is committed to ensuring that all pupils within the Vale have every opportunity to attain the best possible outcomes. In order to achieve this ambition it is essential that we ensure schools remain sustainable, reflect the needs of our local communities and are equipped with the best possible learning environments. In March 2018, the Council launched a new consultation aimed at taking a holistic view of primary school provision in the Western Vale. The aim of the consultation was inform the community about the school re-organisation proposal being put forward to build a new 210 place school building for Llancarfan Primary School, with the addition of 48 part time nursery places which would be located in Rhoose, and to seek feedback on this proposal. Members of the community raised a number of important concerns regarding the impact to their local areas, as well as raising additional questions about the proposal, while seeking to ensure their views were understood. The Vale of Glamorgan is committed to ensuring that consultations are meaningful, relevant and appropriate for the communities that are involved, and the Council has a duty of care to ensure that proposals are clear, transparent and reflective of those affected. This is a vision that can only be realised by working in partnership with schools, governors, parents and the wider communities we all serve. The recent consultation exercise examining primary provision in the Western vale has been valuable and important in informing the next steps. As a result of feedback, the Council has felt it is important to include greater detail in the consultation document and to provide stakeholders the opportunity to consider this within a new consultation timeline. The feedback provided to date has been incredibly valuable, and has been carefully considered. A thematic review of the concerns raised has been completed and those themes form the basis for the additional information included in this document and the new community impact appraisal. The views expressed to-date regarding this proposal will be considered in the final consultation report. We welcome any further or additional feedback from individuals or organisations on the additional information included in this document before a decision is taken by the Council. In order to make your views known, we request that individuals or organisations submit a feedback form within the timescales provided below. Under the School Organisation Code 2013, it is vital that any feedback be received by 9 July 2018 in order to be considered as part of this consultation. Any items received after that date cannot be considered. This consultation gives you the opportunity to ask questions and make comments that will be considered when the Council decides how to proceed. This document explains the Council’s proposals to: Create a new 210 place primary school building with a 48 part time place nursery class for Llancarfan Primary School in Rhoose: Transfer staff and pupils from the current Llancarfan Primary School building into the new school building: Change the age range of Llancarfan Primary school from 4-11 years to 3-11 years. 3 This proposal is being considered under section 2.2 of the School Organisation Code 2013. This section refers to Regulated Alterations of a school, which includes the transfer of any existing school to a new site. It is important to stress that under these regulations the proposal to move Llancarfan Primary School to a new site does not constitute a school closure, even though the existing building would no longer form part of the school. Our consultation process follows Welsh Government guidelines outlined in the School Organisation Code 2013. A range of individuals and groups are being asked for their views about these proposals. Before any decisions are made, the Council